HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Memory Stream Dipping into Philadelphia's illustrated past
This weekend marks the 233d anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted July 4, 1776.
Content and images provided by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. For more stories, visit www.hsp.org.
Thomas Jefferson, a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress, was selected to write the first draft of the document declaring the colonies' independence from Great Britain. The 33-year-old Jefferson was uncomfortable living in the center of Philadelphia, so he looked for somewhere on the outskirts of town where he could gather his thoughts and begin writing.
He rented the second floor of a brick home at Seventh and Market Streets for himself and his staff. It was known as the Graff House because it had been built in 1775 by Jacob Graff, a brick mason. While living there, Jefferson wrote the draft of the Declaration in less than three weeks.
The original Graff House survived until the 1880s, when it was razed to make room for a bank. In 1975, while preparing for the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the National Park Service built a replica of the Graff House. It is now known as the Declaration House and is open for tours.
Content and images provided by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. For more stories, visit www.hsp.org.
